Killer Doll
by Shimizu Hikaru
Summary: ...As if protecting his secret of being KID wasn't hard enough, now he had to take care of a fugitive Doll too. And it just had to be a prideful and arrogant one to boot too...Well, at least he could try to get something out of this. Hi-status.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**:…As if protecting his secret of being KID wasn't hard enough, now he had to take care of a fugitive Doll too. And it just had to be a prideful and arrogant doll to boot too…Well, at least the Doll could cook.

**Warning**: AU (…since when my stories aren't? *face palms*), OOC-ness and my shitty English (sorry…I somewhat want this to be a surprise to my dear dear beta Kagari-chan too v^^.)

**Disclaim**:…Do I look like I own something as awesome as DC or MK?

**A/N**:…I guess this story is kind of "write for the heck of it" v^^. The first part wrote itself, I tell you. And the second part was written pretty fast because I was high on reviews xD.

…

_Part 1: The Wanted Doll._

…

Nine PM…and Kaito grumpily plopped down on his sofa with a steaming bow of instant noodles in his hands.

…it was soooooo frustrated, Kaito grumbled as he changed the channels while swallowing down his dinner. His mother had decided to go out of the country again, and he sighed, if she kept spending his father's saving like that…

Then again, the money seemed like unlimited. He spent a good amount of it on his KID's gadgets and his mother spent a nice amount of it on going out of the country, for what he didn't know and the money seemed to never decrease.

But actually, the thing that made him feel frustrated was that, no mother mean no homemade food and he was getting tired of instant noodle and take-out food.

Setting his bow down, Kaito leaned back against the sofa and decided to watch the news that was talking about KID.

Grinning, Kaito listened to their talk, praised how awesome KID was and how fruitless the police was in capturing him. Heh, he was just that good, he couldn't help it.

"…_Please pardon us for interrupting the program you're watching,"_ the scene changed and they were no longer talking about KID but about some kind of announcement. Kaito narrowed his eyes, it'd better be important or he wouldn't sleep because the talk about his show was interrupted so rudely just because of something trivial like missing pet of some rich people.

"…_A dangerous doll which was supposed to be recycled today has escaped,"_ the reporter said, looking down at the note in her hand, _"It's a fail produce and it's very dangerous because it can attack people. If you see it, please phone the police."_

And as she finished, the picture of the wanted doll was put up and Kaito blinked, it looked oddly like him, beside the neat hair and blue eyes of course. So, that the doll eh? He just hoped people wouldn't mistake him for it and he got sent to the...wherever it was to be recycled.

And he looked up at the ceiling.

Dolls were the robots that were made to be humans' friends, servants, lovers and anything the human wanted it to be. And they were called Dolls instead of just robot because they looked really real and like human, from the smooth skin to the way they spoke and expressed their feelings…if they ever had feelings, Kaito snorted.

In the end, they were just tools and toys to human and he hated it…it was just wrong…even if the Dolls didn't have a heart, real feelings…

Sighing, he decided to just go to bed early; tomorrow his had a test after all, and fencing off Hakuba's accuses of him being KID would be quite tiring. The blond should just start to find soil evidence then accused him, not throwing comments about him being KID every now and then like usual, it was driving Kaito mad.

Then the magician and sometimes thief blinked as he recalled everything, Hakuba was a good detective, he had to admit and the task of finding the evidence of him being KID wouldn't be too hard for him but it seemed…after sometimes of being classmates, then friends- thank to a mop-wielding girl, their relationship had become better than at first. And Hakuba wasn't really hell bend on capturing him. It was like, Kaito scowled, the blond did all of that for his own amusement, to make Kaito frustrated.

Standing up and stretching himself, Kaito glanced at the bow on the table before deciding that he'd deal with it later as he made his way toward his bedroom.

After having changing into his pj, Kaito grinned and saluted at his father's portrait, "Good night, Tou-san. See you tomorrow~!" and he smiled as the portrait smiled back at him, the everlasting smile…

And as the lights went off, Kaito lay down on his bed and pulled the cover up, the sound of cars and people were still there and for a moment, he almost didn't hear the sound of breathing, shallowly and desperately.

With a startle, he shot up in his bed and narrowed his eyes as he silently made his way toward his room's balcony where the sound came from. Just hope it wouldn't be a thief…or they had been stupid enough to choose the infamous KID's house to rob, Kaito grinned, what should he do with his fellow thieves now…

When he opened the doors to the balcony, Kaito found himself staring…

…this…this couldn't be happening, Kaito looked at the person sitting with his back leaning against the wall who was also holding his bleeding arm, his face turned toward Kaito, the face that he had just seen minutes ago on the news.

The moment seemed to freeze in a dramatic pause, the full moon illustrated Kaito's astonished face and the other's whose face was scrunched up in pain. On his balcony, the wanted doll was, breathing hard and it appeared that he had lost unconscious…if his closed eyes didn't already tell.

…seriously, Kaito couldn't believe, because thing like that only happened in movies or mangas…but it was happening right then, making him the main character… which he didn't mind much.

Well…what would the main character do in these situations? He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, call the police or take the doll in?

Grinning from ear to ear, Kaito snapped his fingers before bending down to pick the doll up, the doll only gave a groan in respond but he showed no sign of waking up. And Kaito walked back inside the house, closing the doors behind him. Dangerous or not, this was what the main guy would do, he was sure, or exactly, it was what Kuroba Kaito would do.

Beside, despite looking a lot like him, Kaito looked down at the doll in his arms, he looked much cuter than Kaito and who was him to leave such a cute guy alone like that? He might be dangerous but Kaito was sure he could defend himself just fine; it wasn't like the doll had supernatural power, right?

…Well, in the meantime, let's call him Doll-kun.

…

"…_System's starting. Start running check."_

"…_Breathing System's working properly."_

"…_Heating System's working properly."_

"…_Commander System's working properly."_

"…_All programs in place."_

"…_Slightly damage. Not too serious."_

"…_Waking mode: On."_

…Unfocused blue eyes slowly flicked open and for a moment, all he could see was whiteness.

He blinked a few times before his eyes gained a waking light. Blue eyes blinked some more before they widened as he shot up on the bed.

Where was he? He looked around with wide eyes, his system was working fast, trying to process the scenes his eyes took in and if he had ever been there. A desk with a computer was placed beside the bed he was sitting on. A few feet away, placing by the doors led to the balcony was a simple grey wardrobe, nothing special. Well, other than the giant portrait of a smiling man and doves on the other side of the room- his brain processed that the man was a magician, someone who did tricks to please people, they often appeared with a top hat and sui-…wait a minute, it wasn't time to recite the information!

He shook his head rapidly to shake the unwanted information away. His eyes and brain continued to try to see if there was any danger nearby. Then he noticed his arm which was bandaged nicely. His eyelids dropped in an amused manner. He didn't need bandage, his wound would heal on its own…he was just a doll anyway…pain only hurt him a bit before it become a dull feeling.

Then everything from the day before returned back to his memory chip which provided him that, yes, he was shot while trying to run away from the trucks that were bringing failures like him to the recycle factory. He had run and got shot but he at least lost his pursuers as he hid in a house's garden. Then he didn't know what possessed him but he had climbed up a tree to get to the second floor's balcony. The place seemed to be a nice hiding place at that time, he didn't even think about the owner of the house might find him there…but it seemed they did. And he wondered why he heck he was still sitting there dazedly and not make any move to escape before the owner called the police?

…It certainly felt safe and his sense never failed him.

Idly, he moved his hand to rub his bandage forearm and closed his eyes. His creators…the one who he had seen as his very parents, betrayed him, wanting to discard him…His little non-exist heart throbbed as he remembered the way the woman and man, his creators, had smiled at him, showered him with love like he was their son…

"…_From now on your name will be Kudo Shinichi,"_ he had said so warmly, patting his head gently while the woman pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"_Shin-chan~! Welcome to the Living world~!"_ she had exclaimed so happily and even then, when he didn't have any clues of what Living world was, what name mean…he still felt so happy that his commander system commanded him to smile the first smile ever, however hesitant and shy it was. He felt like he was human and not just a doll.

…But then, he was just an idiot, an idiotic doll that he was. Humans were all liars, they never kept their promises. The couples had told him that the three of them would be together forever as a family and then, two years later, they got tired of him and threw him away onto a truck with several other fail produces. That was when he realized, he was nothing more than a toy, something to please the humans and when they got bored of him, they threw him away so easily…

It hurt, his hand gripped the bandaged forearm tightly, hoping to feel just a little pain so that it would prove that he was existing, he had feelings, he wasn't just a doll…it helped a bit as he could feel sticky liquid seek through the bandage, he smiled to himself, sticky liquid that the dolls like him would prefer to as blood so that it would make them more real. But then, the truth was always there, it was just oil and other chemical produce and the human were kind enough to give the liquid a dark red color. But it was certainly tasteless, unlike the metallic smell of real blood.

"Whoa whoa, easy, Doll-kun," a new voice spoke up and his eyes snapped open, his head turned toward the source with wide eyes. At the doorway, the newcomer was standing there, dressed in a sleeveless white shirt and brown pants that were rolled up to his mid shins, arms crossed at his chest as he regarded him with amused violet eyes.

Wide blue eyes looked at the face that looked so alike to his own as he backed away until his back was pressed tightly against the wall.

"…W-who a-a-are yo-u-u?" he asked, stuttering as his voice cracked…damn, his speaking system must have been damaged. Slightly damaged bullshit, his checking system must be damaged too then…at least his commander system wasn't harmed in anyways…

"You feel any better?" the stranger asked, moving to sit on the bed's edge, "You looked like shit last night."

"…W-well, t-t-than-ks," he deadpanned back, still looking at him with wary eyes and the stranger laughed good-naturally.

"Well, I'm Kuroba Kaito," the newcomer- now had a name, Kaito said absently as a dove appeared from no where and perched on his head, its black round eyes stared at him blankly.

"What's your name?" he asked and the doll opened his mouth as he was about to say something but then, he closed it again, his upper body lower a bit in defend, much to Kaito's amusement.

"Relax, I'm not harming you or calling the police," Kaito waved his hand in dismiss as the dove on his head flapped its wings happily.

"…I-it's Shin-i-i-chi," he dropped his last name since he didn't deserve it anymore, he wasn't a Kudo family's member anyways…

"Shinichi, eh?" Kaito blinked, "Your creator surely have a good taste in naming…" then he laughed again, "Then again, it doesn't matter, does it?"

…_It does,_ Shinichi wanted to tell the stranger so but he couldn't. And he didn't even know why he couldn't, it was frustrating…

"…I don't even know why I took you in," Kaito mumbled, "You don't attack people, do you?" he asked, cocking his head to one side, making the dove flew off his head to settle on his shoulder.

Shinichi shook his head, "O-o-on-ly-ly i-if t-they at-attack me," he muttered back. His blue eyes blinked in confusion as Kaito looked at him strangely, "W-w-wha-t-t?"

Kaito smiled, "You're much realer than they…" he said and Shinichi got the message. He was realer, more humane than most of the dolls, he knew and he took pride in it.

"Okay," his head snapped up again in caution as the messy haired boy clapped his hands together, looking him with mischief in his indigo eyes. Shinichi tensed, mentally slapped himself for not getting out of there when he still could.

In a swift moment, Kaito pounced on Shinichi, straddling him and making the wanted doll yelped in surprise before fighting back, struggling to get the messy haired boy off him.

"W-w-what t-the he-hell?" Shinichi screamed, hands crawled at the other's bare arms, making Kaito wince but he didn't budge.

"My, I never know they install cursing into dolls too!" he smirked as his hand took a hold of Shinichi's wrists and pinned them down above his head while the other pulled at Shinichi's shirt's hem to pull it up.

Shinichi snarled and continued to struggle, it was just his rotten luck that he managed to meet a rapist, damn it. And even if he wouldn't feel too much pain, nor pleasure, his pride wouldn't let himself get humped that easily.

The other's cold hand pressed against his chest, near his neck before skimmed up to the side of his neck, then to left his blade shoulder then to his nape, where the hand stopped and poked around.

Moment later, a victorious smirk tugged at the messy haired boy's lips and Shinichi blinked as Kaito suddenly flipped him around and pulled at a part of his skin at his nape, where the thin shell was easily peeled off to reveal a USB port.

Blue eyes widened again as Kaito took a USB wire from nowhere and Shinichi began to struggle even more. Hell no! That damn thing again!

And the USB was plugged in, Shinichi grew limp, his system shut down to be connected to the computer. Only his commanding system was still working and as his limbs couldn't move anymore, Shinichi found himself glaring hatefully at the other, who slowly got off him with a charming grin on his face.

"What?" Kaito asked innocently as he got in his seat in front of the computer, where a window popped up with various files on it.

"…I h-h-hat-t-te y-you," the doll spat as best as he could in his shut down mode while Kaito poked around with his setting program.

"Thank you," Kaito nodded, the grin never left his lips and his eyes never left the screen where the mouse was moving toward one particular file

Moments later, a frown made its way onto Kaito's face and Shinichi couldn't help but let a smirk tug at his lips.

"…As far as I can see," Kaito began, eyes flicked over Shinichi, "You have no errors, viruses or whatsoever…Then why do they call you a fail produce…?"

"Mh…" Shinichi grinned, feeling quiet proud for no reason but otherwise, he stayed silent.

Silence fell around them. And Kaito continued to mess around.

"…Just fix your speaking system and checking system," Kaito announced after a while and Shinichi mentally thanked him.

"Well then, let's see if you still hate me after this," he said in a sing song voice as he double clicked on the file that named 'Emotions and Personality'.

Shinichi only rolled his eyes as Kaito worked on his program cheerfully.

"Whoa," Kaito gasped in mock surprise, "Whoever created you must be the biggest egotist in the world," he turned to look at Shinichi with wide eyes.

"Look, in your personality, they set 'Arrogant and Prideful' as default…" he mused, "No wonder…"

Then he grinned, chirping cheerfully, "Let's change that, shall we?"

And he typed into the 'Personality' box, 'Obedient and Gentle.'

"There, much better," his grin widened as he moved to another file, "…And let's see which type you are…" his eyebrows furrowed together, "'Family' eh? Not bad…"

And he tapped his chin thoughtfully before a wide smirk appeared on his face and Shinichi felt goose bum rose on his artificial skin as Kaito typed on his keyboard.

"…What did you set?" he asked warily and alarmed as Kaito turned to him.

"…'wife'," he replied nonchalantly and Shinichi's blue, blue eyes widened.

"What the? I'm a male!" he yelled, wanting so badly to punch the moron but he just couldn't move.

"…And? I tell you, Dolls like you are asexual and made for gay people too. Ah, well, only 'wife' section has cooking program, dear," Kaito brushed him off easily and turned back to the screen, "…why would it matter to you though…?" he mumbled to himself, "…You're just a doll."

Again, Shinichi wanted to protest but it was the truth. Truth hurt, he knew and all he could do was biting his lower lip harshly to prevent himself from saying anything.

"…Lady Luck must favor me really much," Kaito's cheerful voice broke Shinichi's thought, "Now that I have a doll for free, no more instant noodles and take out food."

And he turned to grin charmingly at Shinichi, "Ready for a nap? Once you're done with resetting and restarting, I'm sure I'll have a nice and obedient 'wife'…" his grin turned cheeky and Shinichi found himself slightly amused by that. Then he mentally slapped himself for thinking so.

Shinichi snorted before he started to feel drowsy as his system was shutting down completely. But before he lost his grasp on the Living world completely, he could vaguely hear Kaito say something about 'disguise' and all.

And then, darkness claimed him.

xxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxx

_To D-chan's question if I'm reading/watching Chobits ^^: Yup, only one ep though. I realized that hentai or ecchi is not my type ^^._

…It's kinda vaguely if I will continue or not…I seriously have no idea where this will lead to v^^. Admitting, I had so much fun making up the Doll's anatomy. But well, I'll write when the muse bites and I hope you'll enjoy every bite I manage to get bitten x3.

…Btw, while finding the USB port, I believe Kaito did more than needed too xD.

Hope you enjoy what I have so far ^^.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning**: AU, OOC-ness, and everything that you think should be put into warning ^^.

**Disclaim**: I own nothing other than this corrupted brain of mine.

**A/N**: As always, I thank you all for taking time to read and review this crappy piece of mine ^^! I'll be replying to you guys, if it bothers you, please tell me so, I'll stop ^^.

…It was a hard battle with the plot bunnies to get this out and I managed to get one bite. Nice, isn't it :3? Hope you enjoy?

…And why does everything I write these days always turn into crack somehow D:? Btw, all hail before dear Cinderella-chan for betaing this~!

…

_Part 2: The Reason Why._

…

It was late afternoon and one hour after the other had lost consciousness, and Kaito found himself still sitting by the bed on the only chair in his room. He knew he should stand up, maybe move to the kitchen and help himself to some more ramen; it was past his lunchtime anyway. But he found he couldn't make himself, even though his stomach was grumbling loudly, demanding food; even take-out or instant noodles would be okay.

Why was he still sitting there? He didn't know… he supposed he just didn't want to leave the Doll alone. Maybe because he wanted to be the first person the Doll saw when he opened his eyes again? Y'know, like the baby animals that would follow the first person they saw, thinking that person was their mother. He snickered at the image of the Doll following him around with wide eyes, randomly saying 'mommy'. And he snickered at himself internally for thinking watching someone sleeping was funny. Then Kaito corrected himself – the Doll was in Shut Down mode, not sleeping like he had automatically thought of it as. Kaito sighed, musing about how ironic it was that he had a Doll laying on his bed when he had vowed to never get a Doll like everyone else had.

Then he wondered if he had seriously lost his mind like Aoko had always claimed. Because on his bed wasn't just a normal Doll but a wanted Doll…Now, the Kuroba household was hiding two fugitives; an internationally wanted thief and a nationally wanted Doll. What a nice combination, Kaito snickered to himself.

But then, he stopped his snickering abruptly and turned his face back into a blank mask. He really, really wondered why he decided to take the other in and not just call the police and get over and done with. Then he began to wonder why the Doll was called a failure when he was obviously fine; he had no viruses, and no failed programs at all… Well, except for his personality issues but Kaito had taken care of that, hadn't he?

Standing up and stretching the kinks from his back, Kaito strolled onto the balcony and sucked in a deep breath of air – indoors suddenly seemed to be too cramped and gloomy. He tipped his head back and stared at the wisps of white scudding overhead. What was he going to do with the runaway on his bed? He turned his face to contemplate the shadowy figure under his sheets, before he shook his head and looked away. Then he retreated into the room again, as the sun's afternoon light was too hot to be comfortable for long, and reclaimed his seat by the bed to watch the Doll's form once again.

…There must be something wrong here… The whole situation felt unsavory to Kaito. The magician leaned back in his chair; maybe the Doll was some kind of experiment? Because he certainly didn't look, feel, or act like the other Dolls that he had seen. Or maybe the Doll had some kind of secret hidden inside him that made people want to destroy him?

His blue eyes were so alive with emotions, not blank like the others', and the way he reacted… it just screamed abnormal to Kaito. Too real, it said; too human, it shouted. And Kaito couldn't pretend he didn't hear that.

'Shinichi' was the Doll's name, and Kaito had noticed the proud yet somewhat pained voice the other had used when he had announced his name, the name that could be changed easily by a click of mouse and some typing. And again he wondered, why?

Sighing, Kaito's eyelids drooped as he bent down to put his chin on his folded arms where they rested on the bed's edge, and for a long time he stayed still and contemplated the other's unmoving form. Then he reached out to fiddle absently with the Doll's hair. The locks of hair slipping through the cracks between his fingers felt nice, relaxing, and calming somehow, and Kaito smiled as he brushed the Doll's hair out of his eyes.

And as Kaito quietly lost himself in dreamland, his hand slipped down the side of the Doll's face to rest peacefully next to his head.

…

It was quite a commonplace sight for Shinichi, maybe strange to humans, but to Dolls it was nothing out of the ordinary to find themselves sitting, surrounded by various programs in a green cyber-world. The only occupants in the four walls were the endless strings of numbers, symbols, and binary code. Just ones and zeros stretching into infinity.

It was simply the world for a Doll's consciousness to exist in when there was any change made to the Doll's programming.

And that was exactly where he was, sitting cross-legged behind a strange microchip that was guarding him and his Memory Chip, which he was sure would have been uninterestedly regarding its fingernails had it had fingernails to regard.

The 'Personality and Emotion' program was bitching loudly that it had to do its job and that the strange chip was preventing it from reaching the Command system – Shinichi himself – to carry out its change.

Shinichi was sure he had never seen the strange chip anywhere else, no Dolls other than himself had it, and computers couldn't detect it, and it was smirking quite arrogantly as it let the 'Type' program pass and carry out the change, but still blocked the 'Personality and Emotion' program.

Shinichi grumbled, annoyed as the 'Type' program chirped happily and changed his type from 'Family' to 'Housewife'. And the Doll cursed the moronic human for it. His manliness was being threatened, damn it, and he could do nothing to stop it.

Sighing, Shinichi watched as the strange chip deleted the order to alter his personality, much to the Doll's amusement and the 'Personality and Emotion' program's horror.

Shinichi and the strange chip smirked at the same time as the 'Personality and Emotion' program bustled away, huffing childishly all the while. Then the strange chip turned to him, winking, and Shinichi felt the cyber-world around him shifting and changing as he began to shift back into Waking mode.

Shinichi only had enough time to mouth a 'thank you' to the strange chip before he was forced to leave the cyber-world to rejoin the world of the living.

And as his systems rebooted – the checking system was running over his programs one last time before Waking mode came officially on – Shinichi smirked, pleased that his 'Arrogant and Prideful' personality remained unchanged. Oh, the moronic human wouldn't know what hit him…

…

…Blue eyes blinked open and for a moment they continued to stare blankly up at the ceiling before wakefulness took over.

It was the same ceiling as before, if his Memory Chip served him right, which meant he was still in the human's room.

Shinichi blinked some more before sitting up slowly, his new 'Housewife' type was screaming at him to get his ass moving and make lunch, because it was past lunchtime and he hadn't cooked anything yet! What kind of 'Housewife' was he!

Shinichi snorted, that was the problem – he wasn't your normal daily 'Housewife', and so he could mentally tell the program to shut up.

His hand rose up to rub his forehead tiredly while the other hand twitched as it supported his upper body. Then his fingers touched something, Shinichi turned to blink at the hand which was lying limply by his own, touching the tips of his fingers slightly.

He blinked some more as his eyes rested on the human's sleeping face and for a moment, he just sat there, silently calculating the probability of escape should he try to run, before his settings threw him a bored look, 'No, no, dear, stupid Doll, you're not leaving your _husband'_… damn. Shinichi sighed, letting his Memory Chip record his surroundings before a loud grumble from the sleeping human disturbed the seemingly peaceful moment.

With a sullen, forced smile and an elbow from his program, Shinichi slipped off the bed and made his way out of the room. He might as well do as his program said, if only to stop its bitching. Now, where was the kitchen?

As he made his way downstairs, Shinichi couldn't help but look around curiously. The house was small, much smaller than his house… _stop referring to the Kudo mansion as your house, stupid Shinichi_, but it felt colder and much lonelier than back at the big mansion.

Wasn't a small house supposed to be homey and warm?

Shinichi grimaced after he sniffed and had to force down a sneeze. There was dust in the air and the Doll wondered how long had it been since anyone had actually cleaned the house, while mentally glaring at his 'Type' program for screaming at him, again, to pick up a broom and a mop in order to clean the place. As much as his personality didn't like it, Shinichi was still a 'Housewife' type.

And soon enough, he found the kitchen. It looked quite normal and lived in. Whoever had been using this place must have really loved it. Shinichi smiled as he looked around. The place was decorated quite nicely, but it seemed that whoever had taken it over was being too careless with it. Shinichi grimaced at the sight of several stacks of unwashed bowls and the many chopsticks in the sink. Nearby were empty instant noodle containers, and the eating table was covered in crumbs and dust. The once loved kitchen was now a complete mess before him.

…It was his first day of being a 'Housewife' and Shinichi felt like crying already. Back then, it was always his mother, _his creator_, preparing the meals and cleaning everything and he was just a spoiled son, a _brat_, who lazed around in the big library reading and reading.

Then he froze… Was it because he was being too useless that they threw him away? If only he had at least helped her in the kitchen occasionally, if only his setting wasn't 'Arrogant and Prideful' then he would have agreed to go shopping with her with a smile instead of being grumpy and she would still love him, would have kept him around.

He still remembered clearly the way she had whined to him about how 'uncute' he was, which he had always responded to by shooting a bland look back, then he remembered how she would brighten up again and hug him tightly, telling him that even so, she loved him no matter what. Because he was her son. Even though he was just a Doll with no heart with programs as his soul and a metal frame as his body.

…Maybe she got tired of that after a while? Tired of trying to love him after two years?

Releasing a sigh, Shinichi shook his head to clear out all of the unwanted depressing thoughts before rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.

…

Kaito yawned before wincing as his back ached, his eyes still refused to open and he had no energy to move and sit up properly. He knew sleeping in that position wasn't a good idea… Wait, sleeping? Had he been asleep?

He bolted upright and ignored his aching back as he looked around. Where was the Doll? Had it escaped?

Kaito groaned and leaned back in his seat sullenly, he had just let his 'homemade food' escape and was very put out.

…And it was definitely not because he was worried about that Doll. Definitely not. But the stubborn denial couldn't quite drown out the voice in the back of his mind saying, 'Oh please. You're worried. Just admit it.'

Nope, he definitely wasn't. If the Doll decided to run away and got caught, Kaito wouldn't care, even if the pretty Doll might be pushed under a big hammer to get smashed… or would they burn him in the incinerator? Or –

No! He wasn't going to think about it any more, it'd make him feel even more discomfited than he had already been…

Shaking his head, Kaito grumbled to himself. He was just a Doll, that was all and Kaito could live without him. It was how he had been living these past years anyway.

…Right, his stomach was growling again. Kaito dropped his head and morosely dragged his feet out of the room and to the kitchen to help himself to more instant noodles. He felt too lazy to call for take-out right now.

He groaned tiredly as the sight of how the kitchen had become flashed in his mind, damn it, he should have cleaned everything up at least every once in a while… And he wondered if there were any bowls left for him to cook – _ha! cook…_ – his noodles in.

_Kaa-san, I miss you so, so much, please come home soon… It's been months already!_

But then, guess what he found?

A spotless kitchen, with a shining counter, shining floor, shining cupboards, shining bowls, everything was shining… His eyes felt like they were going to drop out of their sockets if they didn't go blind first.

There was a tale Kaito's mom used to tell him about an old woman who brought home a strange fruit one afternoon, and then every time she returned home from a long day of work, her house would be clean and food would be ready for her. The old woman got suspicious and one day, she went out to work like usual, but in truth, she hid by the window to see who had helped her all this time. A guess what? She saw the fruit get bigger and bigger and a beautiful girl walk out from it. The girl then started to clean everything up and cook a delicious meal for the old woman. And when the secret was uncovered, the beautiful girl stayed with the old woman and became her daughter. It was because God had pitied the old woman because she was so lonely and so He ordered one of his maidens to come down to Earth and help the woman become less lonely.

Now he wondered, _Kaito…you've been wondering too much lately_, which God he owed the pleasure to. It must be Lady Luck, she loved him after all. Then again, what kind of maiden would be doing all of this? She would surely have long, flowing golden hair and be wearing the pure white apron his mother always wore. And her voice must be soft and she would have a smile that could brighten up the darkest corner in the world…

Lost in his daydream, as his hunger had driven him to distraction, Kaito didn't notice someone come up behind him until the person spoke up.

"You're blocking the way, moron," the voice was dry, enough to shatter Kaito's little fantasy land as he turned around to be greeted with the surly expression on the Doll's pretty face.

"…" He couldn't move his mouth to say anything so he just moved to one side to let the Doll pass, and allowed his jaw to hang. And he noticed the Doll was indeed wearing the apron his mother always used and damn, if it didn't fit him well, even though he didn't have flowing golden hair or a soft voice, and his expression was enough to make the brightest place turn into the dark and bottomless Abyss.

Still watching the Doll, Kaito's eyes followed the other's movements as he took the garbage out of the garbage can and moved out of the kitchen again with an irked look on his face, Kaito was sure he was going to bring the things out to throw onto the garbage truck.

…Which made Kaito's eyes go wide.

With lightning speed, Kaito took a hold of the Doll's forearm to yank him back, which made the other yelp and drop the garbage bag which led to the litter spilled all over the once shining floor. And the Doll's leg accidentally caught Kaito's own, making them both fall to the ground with Kaito on top.

While the Doll was using his elbow to try and sit upright as his other hand rubbed the back of his head gently, Kaito was glaring down, arms braced on either side of the Doll.

"Are you stupid?" he asked, making the Doll blink up at him in surprise, "The wanted notice was put up last night and everyone should know about you by now! What if someone saw you and called the police?"

He continued to ramble rather vehemently, not noticing the close distance between them…not until the Doll's cheeks flushed, anyway.

"…I get it already. Would you kindly get off me now?" the Doll muttered, covering his face with one hand while Kaito blinked owlishly down at him.

"Huh?" Kaito leaned in even more, "You're embarrassed?" he asked in awe and when the Doll didn't answer, Kaito moved to get off him slowly, still training his eyes on the Doll. The other stood up as well and by the time his hand returned to his side, his face was set back to its default stony expression.

The cold blue eyes looked around before the left one twitched, "Do you know how long I've spent cleaning up this place?" he ground out and Kaito stepped back nervously.

For a moment, the Doll stood with his arms crossed at his chest while narrowed blue eyes glowered at Kaito. The human could only sweat-drop, who knew that a Doll could pull off a dead glare that perfectly?

"Okay, okay! I'll clean it up!" Kaito held his hands up in surrender before quickly grabbing the broom and gathering the litter into a pile again.

"Wait a minute, I thought I set your personality to 'gentle'…" at that, violet eyes widened as he turned around to look at the Doll's smirking face; cleaning and the dirty floor forgotten.

"That has no effect on me, I assure you," the Doll said, blue eyes looking straight into Kaito's violet ones.

"…And that is why I am a failure."

xxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxx

Oho, so this one has a hint of Chobits, of No. 6 and even 'Kokoro' by Kagamine Rin then my ever favorite game 'MegaMan Battle Network' too xD. I have such talent for mixing things up eh x3? And just so you know, each of my chapter always has at least one point for the story to move on, there should be no pointless chapter…or so I try anyways v^^.

I'll try to finish this 'cause my motto is 'Finish what I have started', but nothing to be sure that the muse will bite again, sorry guys v^^. But to cheer up, I think I catch a glimpse of the mother muse, aka the plot for this x3!...For now, I'm still fighting with her spawns and trying to get bitten…Btw, do you think I have any style at all? Like when you read a fic without looking at the author, you still know who write it?

If you enjoy it, please leave a word. It only takes you some minutes at best but it took me like hours to think and type this up, folks. Actually, that applies for other ficcies and authors too ^^.

Weird eh? Thank you, **D-chan**~! Thanks for the compliment ^3^.

And there's more for you, **RAGA** ^^. Hope I meet up with your expectation?

Ah well, to **love. harry** even though I don't understand what you said, other than Shin-chan and Kaito, but I assure that you enjoy it ^^? *hops to google translate*

**Kaitou Cat**, thanks ^^~!...though is Kaito in this kind or less of a meanie enough to make up for how mean he was in last chapter?...Aww…I suddenly get this idea of how Shinichi will get revenge ;D.

To **kuro**, I hope this chapter is fun for you too ^^~.

**Firepaw**, thanks, I'll definitely see that movie ^^…though I'll have to see what wiki said about it first…I'm not going to end up bawling my eyes out x.x.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning**: AU, OOC-ness, my shitty English. There's gonna be HakuAo hint. I'm not a supporter of HakuAo but they suit each other to me and I love Hakuba and Aoko too much to not mess with their love-lives v^^.

**A/N**: Sorry for the long wait!

Thank you all for taking time to read and review ^^. It means a lot to me, thank you *bows*! I'm not really happy with this chapter…it turns out far too sappy and shoujo-like for my taste -.-. Oh well…I have vaguely feeling where this will head to now…Though it'd be a headache to sort everything out -.-. Cheer~…And I think this Kaito is the most mature Kaito out of all the Kaito I've written, right :3?

Btw, any of you hasn't known that this will eventually be KaiShin? Please raise your hand. I should probably put a warning in the summary eh? I've been forgetting to do that lately.

**Edited: betaed ver is up~!**

…

_Part 3: Unwanted Guests._

…

"…And that is why I'm a failure."

Kaito stood still, letting the words play again and again. Then he wondered why he was even bothered at all. It was a simple fact, so why was he even surprised? Just accept it and move on, wasn't that how he'd managed so far?

"…I see," he smiled and watched bemusedly as the Doll blinked cutely. Heh, really, when he wasn't being so bitter, he could be so cute. Kaito's smile turned into a grin; he was just like dark chocolate – bitter yet sweet at the same time, his favorite. Now he had another reason to keep the Doll. Then again, what was the first reason?

"…Just that? You're not surprised?" the Doll asked. It seemed he had forgotten about the dirty floor.

"Should I be?" fortunately, Kaito still remembered as he started to gather the litter again, "They call you a failure, and if that is the reason they do, I can only accept it."

Silence fell around them, broken only by the sounds Kaito made as he continued his task. Shinichi stood still nearby, but the silence was not an uncomfortable one.

Violet eyes blinked as a hand suddenly came to take the broom from him, and he looked up to see the Doll take over his task, his bangs shadowing his eyes. He could only watch as the Doll worked with his back turned, his shoulders trembling slightly, whether from laughter or tears, Kaito couldn't tell.

"...You're very strange," the Doll mumbled, his voice strained as he stopped his movement altogether.

"Well, you're pretty strange yourself, Doll-kun," Kaito replied, slightly surprised when the words came out somewhat more affectionately than he'd meant them to. The Doll started to turn his head towards him but stopped before Kaito could see his face, but even so, Kaito could still see the corner of his lips quirk up before the Doll turned away again, returning to his task.

The two came to an unspoken understanding that the Doll was going to stay and that Kaito was more than happy to keep him. It wasn't just for the food, either but also because of something else, because the glitch on his Personality program couldn't be the only thing, there must still be something else that was wrong. If not, then why would they want him so badly that they would label him a nationally wanted fugitive? And the Doll definitely wasn't dangerous, he could tell.

Furthermore, Kaito thought as he watched the Doll gather the debris back into a garbage bag, he still felt too real, too human, and the reason he had told Kaito wasn't enough. Kaito knew a glitch in a Personality program wouldn't affect the Feeling program or the Reaction program.

A grin tugged at the magician's lips, another check up wouldn't be too bad, no? And the Doll's reaction last time was certainly amusing.

Slowly and silently, Kaito kept his infamous KID's smirk as he advanced on the Doll, whose back was still facing him. Just as he was about to pounce the Doll, Kaito leapt out of the range of the broom clutched in the Doll's hands. Oh no, no, no, one Aoko with a mop was enough; he didn't need another with a broom.

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously and Kaito gulped nervously, "Don't even think it." Every word was ground out slowly, as if the Doll deemed Kaito an idiot and was considering pounding the words one by one into his brain.

Kaito got the message.

"Geez," Kaito waved his hand, pushing his lower lip out slightly in a -_manly!_- pout, "You're not cute at all."

Then he felt something akin to guilt bubble in his chest as the Doll stiffened, lowering the broom before picking up the garbage bag in his other hand to give to Kaito.

"…Take this outside," the Doll said emotionlessly, his voice monochromatic, just like a real Doll. Kaito complied and headed out of the house while the other brought the broom back to wherever the broom belonged… don't look at him like that! How the hell was he supposed to know where his mother stored the cleaning tools?

Releasing a heavy sigh, Kaito threw the bag into the dumpster with more strength than needed. Damn, he felt so guilty now because he just knew he had reminded the Doll of something unpleasant, he knew that much. And then, guilt led to frustration and a Kaito with pent-up frustration was a total no-no. Wistfully, Kaito wished he had classes that afternoon so that he could take out his frustration on his innocent and clueless classmates, especially the blond detective. Hmm, he'd heard that blue had a calming effect on people, so he would dye Hakuba's hair blue the next time he saw him!... Maybe his uniform too? Or he could just go ahead and change the blond's wardrobe completely blue. Brilliant~!

Stretching up, Kaito already felt better with the image of Hakuba's blue hair and blue uniform in his head. Grinning to himself, the magician started to head inside again; he should start working on the Doll's disguise, having the wanted Doll going around like that in his house made him feel too insecure.

Wait a minute… Slowly, he walked back out the gate and stuck his head out.

Target sighted. Excellent~

Wait. No. Wrong. That's _not_ good.

Violet eyes widened at the sight of Hakuba and Aoko walking side by side towards his house. How did he know they were going to his house? Easy, Hakuba would never come into this neighborhood to visit him, but he was walking with Aoko, and she would.

Retreating back inside with lightning speed, Kaito was faced with the Doll's startled expression after he dashed into the kitchen and slammed the door behind him. The other appeared to be preparing to cook, which would have made Kaito ecstatic if he wasn't so busy panicking.

Wide blue eyes locked with wide violet ones for a moment, and Kaito used that moment to memorize the Doll's surprised face - awww, cute! - before the magician regained his senses.

"Hide!"

The other blinked, "Wha-?" and was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Kaito," he heard Aoko call, "You home?"

Without really thinking, Kaito dashed forward and pushed the Doll into the cupboard below the sink that was just big enough for one person… if said person was either a child or curled up into as small a ball as possible.

"Stay there," Kaito whispered urgently, shoving down the guilty feeling welling up in his chest at the faint look of panic in the Doll's pretty eyes and the definite discomfort the poor Doll was sure to feel. He tried to explain a little further, "There's gonna be a Holmes-freak detective, who will surely turn you in the moment he sees you, so be quiet, okay?"

As soon as the Doll nodded in confirmation, even though he still looked scared, Kaito closed the cupboard's doors and spun on his heels to dash to the door. He was sure Aoko would smash it open with her mighty Mop Powers if he didn't get there in time.

He completely forgot that she might just think that he wasn't home.

"Afternoon~!" Kaito exclaimed as cheerfully as he could, as he threw the door wide open in a swirl of confetti and glitter. He instantly pasted a look of disappointment on his face at the sight of his classmates. "Oh. It's only you two."

"Mou, Kaito, why were you so slow?" Aoko complained as she pushed Kaito aside and stepped inside while babbling something about Obaa-chan asking her to come and see how Kaito was doing and if she could wash some dishes, because she was sure that Kaito couldn't possibly have any clean dishes left.

"Maybe he was busy hiding something?" Hakuba smirked as he followed her inside, and Kaito went rigid. While the blond detective might have meant that Kaito was busy hiding KID related things, Kaito couldn't help but feel like the blond was referring to the Doll.

"No! I wasn't hiding anything!" he defended himself, wishing he could take the words back the instant they left his mouth, wincing as both Aoko and Hakuba turned to look at him strangely.

"…You sound like you were, BaKaito," Aoko narrowed her eyes as she stalked back to loom in front of Kaito, "…You didn't do anything bad, did you?"

Urgh, as much as he loved Aoko, she _was_ his best friend from childhood, after all, sometimes he just couldn't help but wish they weren't so close, especially in these kinds of situations. She knew him too well, not well enough to break his inner masks, but definitely better than most people.

"Of course not!" he answered cheerily, grinning and mentally thanking God that he'd got his Poker Face back under control in time. Where have you been lately, Poker Face? Kaito mentally cursed, since the moment the Doll came into his life, his Poker Face tended to wander off far too often.

"Good, because if I accidentally find any kinds of underwear in the house, I'll definitely bring you in, got it?" at this, Hakuba snickered into his fist and Kaito's face fell.

"Aoko~!" he whined, appalled, "I'm not that much of a pervert! I may flip you girls' skirts but it's only because your reactions are hilarious!" insulted! He felt so insulted! And somehow this had to be the Doll's fault!... Maybe his too for leaving bad impressions but that wasn't the point!

The girl merely rolled her eyes before wandering off to the kitchen while Hakuba made himself at home on the sofa.

"And you," the magician glared at Hakuba, wrinkling up his nose in distaste, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting you, what else?" the blond raised an eyebrow, "Nakamori-san insists that if I spend more time with you, I'll see that you're a good guy and definitely not that 'stupid idiot KID'."

Then he watched amusedly as Kaito plopped down on the opposite seat, a sullen look on his face, "Not that it'll do any good where my suspicions are concerned, but I just can't refuse a lady's request." The blond paused for a moment before asking, "Bad day?"

"…Mhn," Kaito answered tiredly and Hakuba titled his head to the side.

"Whatever is affecting you," the blond said, "I hope you won't use that as an excuse to perform poorly during your next heist."

"I'm not KID, damn it!" the magician buried his face into the sofa's cushion, "Aoko-kaa-san! Hakuba's being mean to me again~!" he wailed but it was mostly muffled by the cushion.

The blond detective just rolled his eyes at the magician's antics, then watched with a confused expression as Aoko ran back into the living room, an astonished expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Nakamori-san?" the blond asked worriedly and he noticed Kaito also peeked at the girl, though half of his face was still hiding in the cushion. The blond sometimes wondered why a wonderful girl like Aoko – what? She's honest, sincere, and justice-loving so she's wonderful! – was willing to stick with the prankster. And even if he admitted that Kaito was a good friend to her, he still felt a bit annoyed when the girl concerned herself with the messy haired boy. He had to admit, that was one of his reasons behind the frequent accusations of Kaito being KID, he was getting his sweet revenge by ticking the magician off…seeing as Aoko treasured Kaito and their friendship, he just didn't have the heart to really work to find solid evidence of Kaito being KID. It would break Aoko's heart and he didn't want to see that.

"I'm okay," she smiled at Hakuba before turning toward Kaito with wide, confused eyes, "But, Kaito, your kitchen, it's…"

"Spotless, I know," the magician grinned proudly, "I told you, I can take care of myself perfectly fine." Well, not really, but she didn't need to know that.

"But the last time I checked, there were piles and piles of dirty bowls!" then she looked around, "And the living room! Did you clean everything up?"

…Not really, no, but, "Have some faith in me, Aoko-chan~!" he grinned before flipping off the couch to land in front of her.

"…" Aoko still stood gaping speechlessly while Hakuba simply closed his eyes in a bored manner.

Then after a moment, Aoko sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips, "I suppose…" she murmured with the softness that she often displayed towards her somewhat immature friend, but a hint of sadness as well. She was used to taking care of him, after all, he was the one who had been constantly by her side through the saddest and worst moments of her life and she took pride in being there for him as well. She felt happy when she could do something to repay him and now, it seemed he didn't really need her anymore. It would take some time for her to get used to the idea of him no longer needing her help in trivial things like house chores.

"…Aoko," Kaito's eyes softened when she looked at him, millions of unspoken words passed between them in that way only true childhood friends ever can. That is until Hakuba butted in, stepping in between them to smile sweetly at Kaito. Kaito barely managed to hide his shudder.

"I believe we've done what we came here for," then he took Aoko's hand, making both Kaito and the hand's owner blink in confusion, "So I suppose we ought to go."

He pulled Aoko along behind him as he headed for the door. Aoko seemed to not quite understand what was happening but she went along anyways.

"See you at school tomorrow, Kaito!" she smiled and waved as Kaito saw them off.

"Yeah! Remember to wear blue tomorrow~!" he called after her cheerfully which made the girl roll her eyes in amusement and Hakuba shoot him an annoyed glare. Heh, guess Hakuba was the jealous type. He could have _so_ much fun with that. Kaito grinned to himself, he graciously decided to spare the blond the blue uniform, but blue hair was a must~!

Closing the front door with a sigh, Kaito quickly made his way toward the kitchen. Just when he was about to open the cupboard's door, an odd sound caught his ears. It was like a whimpering sound. It was small but within the quiet kitchen, Kaito could hear it clearly.

Hurriedly, he opened the doors and he was instantly greeted with an armful of trembling Doll, who flung his arms around Kaito's neck and buried his face into the surprised magician's shoulder.

Sitting on the floor with a confused expression on his face, Kaito blinked slowly before winding his arms around the mess of trembling limbs in his lap.

"There, there, what's wrong?" he patted the other's back gently.

"…So dark and cramped…I don't like it…" the answer was muffled by Kaito's shoulder. But still, Kaito could make it out and it made him even more fascinated with the Doll. Surely they would never make a Doll that was afraid of small and dark places? It'd be too inconvenient. It was just another quirk that made the Doll special.

"…It's just like on the truck…all us failures were crammed in there and…" a choke and Kaito hushed the Doll like people would do to a child.

"It's okay now…" he reassured the Doll, rubbing his back comfortingly, "…You're safe now, Doll-kun, I've got you."

…And then Things happened. Things with a capital T. Like some God was screwing with him, perhaps. At least a few of them had to hold a grudge against Kaito, and they were definitely trying to make his life miserable. Kaito would ponder this thought idly years later, once he sorted everything out, but at the present, he really didn't have the time.

"Kaito! I forgot my bag!" both human and Doll froze at the sound of the girl slamming the door open and racing footsteps echoed loudly as the girl sped to the kitchen, where a human and a Doll – a wanted Doll – were wrapped around each other in the middle of the kitchen floor. Kaito inwardly cursed at himself for forgetting to lock the door, but it scarcely mattered now; everything happened too suddenly and he found his quick-thinking ability had momentarily abandoned him.

At the sight of her best friend and the wanted Doll – she was an inspector's daughter, you know – Aoko froze up and everything seemed to still, heavy silence falling around them. And to make it worse, a short moment later, the blond detective came into the scene. Golden eyes took in the tableau before them and blinked.

"…Well, well, isn't that the wanted Doll? Looks like you were hiding something after all, Kuroba-kun. So…" the detective crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, "Do you have anything you want to say?"

XxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxx

…And it's been progressing too fast again!

And well, guys, something happen, my mom has got my laptop, along with all of the stories I've typed up…I've got this left because I was sending it to be betaed…so yeah…next update will take awhile since there won't be late night typing anymore and I'll have to use the family computer which is slow and really slow, not to mention the keyboard can act funnily anytimes…*wails in a corner*.

To **NewDCReader 1112:** Thank you~! Aww, As long as you and the others enjoy my works, it won't be a chore ^^~! Thank you for taking time to write a really nice feedback to me ^^!

To **Firepaw**: I guess I'm too but well, I usually hesitate to watch a sad movie, read a tragedy-labeled story x3. Next chapter, probably the Kudos would come into the story more ^^.

**RAGA**, hehe, isn't a cranky housewife Shinichi is the best ^^? I can so image Shinichi chop the veggie while thinking how to poison Kaito but he couldn't 'cause his setting wouldn't let him x3. You know, my favorite literature teacher often told us that giving soulless objects some personalities would make everything less boring and livelier ^^.

…I shall take that as a compliment, **Sumi-chan** ^^. Have you read the fic Psychology revision by magaluva? That fic really helps me so much in trying to make the characters more IC (…which I'm probably failing but well~) Thank you for taking time to read and review!

Actually, I was going to have Shinichi named that chip Haibara xD, **D-chan**~! I really appreciate your reviews ^^! Seriously! They help me a lot! And encourage me too, I dare say. Thank you!

To **Kaitou Cat**, I'm glad so! I was feeling so guilty to make Kaito that much of a meanie but well ^^. There's the next chapter for you~! *points above*. Thank you for taking time to read and review~!


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning**: long AN ahead. OOC-ness, AU, kinda boring chapter.

Specially thank dear Cinderealla-chan for betaing this ^^~! Thanks honey~!

**Disclaim**:...Nope, I own nothing.

**A/N**: Okay, first, I thank you all heatedly for taking time to read and review ^^. Seriously, 49 reviews for three chapters…I feel like I'm going to die…of happiness, of course! Keep that up, dears~! And I'll try to keep this one as good as I can manage to not bore and disappoint you all ^^.

Second, well, you see, despite all the great and supportive reviews you left me for my other stories, I have to grimace and wince whenever I reread them. They feel kinda off for me, and I can only blame that having too much ficcies on my hands at once isn't good, it kinda divides my already short span attention. I tell you, my brain works better at night and now, with my mother has got my laptop, there's no late night typing for me *sulks*.

Third, people are wondering about whether Shinichi is dangerous or not and about the title. To be honest, the title was born for the one shot in the AU series and in that one shot, Shinichi is indeed 'killer'…or at least he is from the outsiders' POV. But it seems the title doesn't fit in a long go anymore. But I'll keep the title until I can find another one that fits better. Yup, my bad, for each story or one shot, I can only write the title once and I can't really change it. And my titles or chapter's names sometime seem off, misleading and only I can understand why I choose the name, but I decide against explain why, I'm letting you all figure out for yourselves ^^.

Finally, enjoy the show~!

…

_Part 4: Someone Dear._

…

To Kaito, sitting there nervously like a boy that had come to his girlfriend's house for the first time, this was the worst moment of his life. Or at least he thought so, but it could be worse because the pretty Doll wasn't his girlfriend by any means – not that he would mind… but that was another story. It wasn't like the British prick and Aoko-Kaa-san were the Doll's parents. Even if the jerk was a robot in a sense, he couldn't be the Doll's parent. God forbid, no! A cute Doll like that couldn't have a father that was such a bastard!

And, well, no parent would want to turn their child in to the police, would they?

But honestly, this situation; the Doll seated motionlessly by his side on the sofa, a shocked and nervous Aoko plus a smug Hakuba in the opposite seats, felt just too uneasy and awkward for him to bear. The heavy silence surrounded them thickly; to the point that he thought he could smell it, the unsavory smell.

If only he could just turn the tense and extremely uncomfortable atmosphere into a cheerful and joking one, it'd be much better for his poor mind and soul, which were screaming in frustration in his head, giving him a headache on top of everything else. They had been sitting still for far too long! It had been ten minutes already! Wait, make it eleven minutes…what? He was counting each second as they passed, of course, what else could he do to stay still that long?

And finally, the suffocating silence was broken by Aoko's hesitant question.

"…Kaito…do you have anything to say?" she said, eyes flicking from Kaito to the Doll then to Hakuba, in case he decided to grab the cell phone on the table and call the police.

She knew that the right thing to do was to call the authorities. But… Kaito's panic-stricken expression, the Doll's wide, terrified, blue eyes, and the way they had clung to each other on the kitchen floor had driven her to snatch Hakuba's cell phone as he had taken it out to call the police. As she had gripped it tightly in her hands, Aoko's eyes had found Hakuba's golden ones in a silent plea. And she'd smiled gratefully when his eyes softened and he'd given a sigh and nodded in acquiescence. After that, the four of them found themselves sitting in Kaito's living room after having made sure that they had locked the door properly.

Aoko knew her best friend must have hidden the wanted Doll for a reason, and she trusted him and he had never let her down before, so Aoko hoped he wouldn't this time.

Really, the girl sighed, if only she had found some kind of underwear instead because being charged as a pervert was much better than being charged for aiding and abetting a wanted criminal. Then again, the Doll sitting quietly by Kaito's side with his eyes staring down at his lap looked nothing like the dangerous Doll that the TV report last night had described – or the wanted posters that had been put up that morning... He was too human, Aoko decided, not to mention the way his shoulders were trembling slightly, as if he was remembering something unpleasant or perhaps because he understood that the situation right now was really, really bad.

…He reminded her too much of the Kaito from _that_ day, the Kaito that had looked so lost and empty at his father's gravestone, making Aoko want to hug him tightly and assure him that everything would be okay, that she wouldn't let the big bad police take him away…

…Okay, let's ignore that last part.

"You see…" Kaito finally spoke up and Aoko frowned when his voice sounded so small and hesitant, "…I found him on my balcony last night…"

Just as she was about to say something – probably asked him to explain some more, Hakuba beat her to it with his amused question, "And you didn't call the police right away?"

Violet eyes glared at Hakuba and Aoko so badly wanted to do the same but she just couldn't.

Hakuba was straightforward, honest but polite at the same time. It was who he was and she admired him for it… But sometimes, he could be such a prick…

"He was injured," Kaito replied in annoyance, folding his arms at his chest as if to defend himself, she could clearly see that Kaito was uncomfortable… Then again, who wouldn't when being caught red handed?

"And?" the blond detective countered back with a raised eyebrow as if to challenge Kaito, who narrowed his eyes even more.

"You honestly think I could turn him in like that?" Aoko's eyes flicked to the Doll to see him looking up slightly at Kaito with an astonished expression and she felt her lips quirk up at the corner. Kaito really was such a softhearted guy… Which was probably why he tended to attract so much trouble. But he would always return with a smile on his lips; even when some of the troubles he got himself into nearly took him from her… Like that one time at a KID heist, when gunshots were heard and he somehow managed to get shot at… Really…

Aoko wondered if Kaito would manage to get out of this big, troublesome mess he'd gotten himself stuck in. The wanted signs had made it clear that whoever sided with the Doll would be punished as if they'd murdered somebody. Of course she found it odd that they made such a big deal over a simple failure. She had seen some Dolls go berserk before and none of them had been pleasant, the berserk Dolls always tended to run around and destroy things or harm people, but they certainly didn't sit there silently like the so-called dangerous Doll before her.

"You'll die one of these days if you keep being that soft-hearted, Kuroba," Hakuba continued, this time his voice was serious, no longer holding any smugness, "What if it attacks you?"

Kaito glared at Hakuba again, but this time his gaze held true hostility. Aoko could see anger in those vivid indigo eyes, could see that it wasn't just annoyance or irritation anymore. She was afraid that he might just punch the detective and possibly destroy what little friendship they had.

"Shinichi's a he, not an it," Kaito said, the calmness of his voice at odds with the emotion boiling in his eyes. Well, now they knew the Doll's name was Shinichi. It seemed like a nice name.

"Please, Kuroba," Hakuba sighed, apparently he was getting tired of what was going on, "I don't want to discuss this anymore. The best solution right now is to just call the police."

And as he reached for his cell phone, he kept his golden eyes locked on Kaito, who had visibly tensed, "Don't worry, your clean record should help you get out of this one…mostly."

"Hakuba-kun," Aoko decided that it was the time for her to speak up; after all, heroines and heroes always show up at the last minute, right? "Don't you think that something isn't right here?"

Hakuba turned to her in surprise, and the blond blinked a few times before his eyes softened, "Nakamori-san, I know they are making a big deal over him but..." Aoko realized that Hakuba was calling Shinichi a he… so there was still hope that he would side with them, "…maybe it's because he's too dangerous? What if he contains some kind of forbidden programs? Or maybe he's-"

…So he had noticed things too, Aoko and Shinichi blinked at the same time and Kaito winced as Hakuba listed out all sorts of possibilities. Right, he was a detective.

"…But he hasn't attacked Kaito, has he?" the brown haired girl smiled and said softly when Hakuba stopped to catch his breath, "Kaito found him last night and now he hasn't even tried to harm any of us even though we're talking about turning him in."

The girl giggled when the three males looked at her funnily, "I mean, he's sitting there like a lost kitten, I think it's a definite possibility that he isn't a threat, isn't it?"

Blue, blue eyes looked at her with annoyance at the 'kitten' comment while Kaito looked like he wanted to fall to his knees and worship her.

Her attention then turned back to Hakuba, who was blinking at her, apparently still in mild shock.

Aoko raised an eyebrow and Hakuba stopped his blinking to shake his head, attempting to clear it.

Releasing a sigh, Hakuba looked up at the rest again, "Then wouldn't it be the best to call the police and let them deal with it?"

Golden eyes narrowed at Kaito, who was about to protest, "If there's something not right, they can help him."

That got Aoko to quiet down. Right, the best solution was still to call the police… but… would they really help the pretty Doll sitting in front of her? Would they even be able to?

"Bullshit! You know police are worthless!" Kaito growled out and startled everyone else in the process as he suddenly surged to his feet, "They can never do anything right! An obvious murder and they call it an accident!" Aoko stiffened at Kaito's hard violet eyes. She knew he was talking about Kuroba Toichi's death… He had insisted that it wasn't an accident, that 'Tou-san would never make mistake like that!', but the police couldn't do anything, couldn't find any evidence that it was a murder, so the case had been closed, much to the young Kaito's distress.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hakuba also stood up tall, golden eyes glaring into furious violet eyes in challenge, "But I myself am a detective, and as a member of the police force, I demand that you take back that insult."

"And what will you do if I don't?" Kaito retorted, lips quirked up in a dangerous smirk, "You know what? If I just need to keep you silent, duct tape and rope will do just fine."

With that, Kaito lunged and Aoko was ready to shoot up and stand between them, but she didn't have to, because a pair of arms had wrapped themselves around Kaito's middle to pull him back down.

"C-calm d-do-wn, mo-ron!" the Doll yelled, gripping Kaito tightly as his voice stuttered.

…

Keeping silent, that was all he had been doing when he should have been speaking up to defend himself or maybe just run out of there as fast as he could before the police came. Actually, he had already been looking for a chance to run when he and Kaito were trailing after the others into the living room. But apparently, his setting program just had to inform him cheerfully that he was not to run away from 'home'- _no 'housewife' does that, dearest Doll._

...Damn.

But then, a hand took a hold of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. And he looked up with wide eyes to see Kaito glancing at him out of the corner of violet eyes.

The butterflies that had burst into being in his stomach were probably made of electrical wires and microchips, but a warm and fuzzy feeling that he hadn't felt for awhile erupted in him when those eyes smiled at him in reassurance.

_'I'll protect you. Everything will be okay.'_ The words had been said without even being spoken out loud, and his Heating system had made his cheeks feel hotter, a sign of embarrassment. It didn't help that his Memory Chip supplied him with the image of how pathetic he had looked clinging to the other on the kitchen floor just a while ago.

…But there was no time to think of that! He needed to do something fast, Shinichi decided, before blood was spilled.

That the cheerful, childish, easy-going Kaito he had come to know had transformed into this defensive and protective Kaito made Shinichi feel funny. The funniest thing was that it was all because of him – Kaito was being protective of him... hadn't they met for the first time just last night? They didn't exactly get along either, so why? Why was Kaito being so kind to him? What would he get from helping him? Shinichi just couldn't understand. Then he shook his head, the Kudos had been kind to him too, but in the end, he still woke up to find himself in a pile of failures… Okay, let's stop those depressing thoughts; there are more important and serious matters to deal with right now than this stinging feeling in his chest.

From what he'd seen, the Doll knew Hakuba and Kaito were friends to some degree, despite the way they reacted to each other. Hakuba's insistence to call the police was a way to protect Kaito, Shinichi knew, because if they found out Kaito was hiding him, the brown haired boy would surely get into trouble… And so, Shinichi didn't want them to fight because of him, it'd make him feel guilty and would hurt that messy haired girl, Aoko, too.

But he still couldn't risk getting caught, as he was pretty sure that the police would hand him back to those men in black… and then they would cramp him into that dreadful dark place again… God Lord, just no, Shinichi shivered slightly then decided that it was his turn to stand up.

Quickly wrapping his arms around Kaito's middle, Shinichi yelled with all his might, which unfortunately caused his Speaking system to momentarily flounder… Damn, how uncool was that?

Everyone seemed to freeze at his little outburst, good. So, what to do to stop the friends from attacking each other and keep him from being cramped into dark and small truck again?

...Come to think of it, didn't Kaito say that this Hakuba guy was a Holmes-freak? If yes then it meant the Gods above still took some pity on him. Taking in a deep breath so his Speaking System would work properly again, Shinichi quickly ran a search through his precious memory folder and turned confident blue eyes to look pointedly into golden ones... _Well then, let's hope he's as much of a Holmes-fan as me._

Cleaning his throat with a small cough, Shinichi opened his mouth.

"_You don't mind breaking the law?" _

That took Hakuba by surprise and the blond stared at him for what seemed like a full minute before opening his mouth as well.

"_Not in the least."_

"_Nor running a chance of arrest?"_

"_Not in a good cause."_

And Shinichi smirked victoriously.

"Oh," he drawled out lazily while Hakuba looked at him seriously and Kaito and Aoko looked at the pair strangely, _"The cause is excellent."_

Soon enough, a small smile tugged at Hakuba's lips and he bowed his head slightly, _"Well, then I am your man."_

Then for a full moment, everything seemed to still as Hakuba and Shinichi locked eyes while Kaito and Aoko glanced back and forth in confusion.

…We've got to give Hakuba some credit, folks, because he actually startled Kaito to the point that the magician wanted to run away with his tail between his legs when he turned to Kaito with a dazzlingly sweet smile.

"On a second thought, Kuroba, I'll go along."

Then with a snap of his head, Hakuba turned back to Shinichi with a smile, "I didn't know you're also a Sherlock Holmes fan."

"Ah," the Doll returned the smile with a bright one of his own, "He's my idol. Over ten GB in my Memory Chip are devoted to everything about him."

"Excellent, that means we will get along well in the future," Hakuba clapped his hands together, "Those were the quotes from '_A Scandal in Bohemia_'. Now, what's your favorite book?"

A wide grin pulled at Shinichi's lips.s

…

…What the heck just happened?

Kaito stared blankly along with Aoko as Hakuba suddenly became fast friends with Shinichi, and their conversation dissolved quickly into a total Sherlock Holmes geek-fest.

He wanted to laugh so badly that he might as well have broken down and cried as he watched blue eyes brighten up as the Doll gesticulated wildly with his hands, to which Hakuba replied immediately.

...That was that, then, he definitely had to read a book or two about that Holmes, to see how he had won the Doll's affection so easily and transformed Shinichi from an anxious Doll into an eager and happy one. Wait, he wasn't seriously jealous of some fictional character, was he? Yes, yes he was, dammit.

A quiet sound reached his ears over the two Holmes-freaks' enthusiastic discussion and Kaito looked over to see Aoko giggling quietly into her fist, looking at Shinichi and Hakuba dotingly.

"We have to snap them out of this or it'll go on forever," the smiling girl said, and Kaito found a grin breaking on his face as he whined at her childishly.

"And you didn't believe me when I said he's a Holmes-freak!"

"Well, be thankful," Aoko regarded him with amusement, "It's what's saving us. And you realize that our new friend here is a, ah, Holmes-freak too, right?"

That got him to pout at her playfully, "You don't have to remind me of that, Aoko-chan~." All the while, said Holmes-freaks continued their heated conversation without even noticing what was going on around them.

Annoyed, Kaito glared at the Doll sitting beside him with half-lidded eyes before indigo eyes switched to Hakuba, who was nodding eagerly in agreement with whatever the Doll was saying and then, it was decided.

Hakuba was to blame for the loooooong and boring discussion. Why? Because Kaito said so, that's why.

And the one at fault should be punished~!

…But he figured he should leave Hakuba alone for now… especially since Aoko was looking at him pointedly just as he was about to unleash something extremely funny – he swore! It'd be hilarious!… Meanie Ahouko.

Aoko simply raised an eyebrow when he turned to her with a pout before she shook her head, turning to Hakuba to tug on his sleeve gently.

"…Hakuba-kun," she called, making both Doll and human, who had been deep in discussion turn to her, blinking.

"Yes?" Kaito rolled his eyes at that, Hakuba had a serious thing for Aoko, he swore! What was with the soft tone! Completely whipped, seriously…

"I think we should get to business," she smiled, "You and Shinichi-kun can talk about Holmes later, can't you?"

At that, Hakuba coughed into his fist, a faintly embarrassed blush creeping across his pale cheeks and Kaito smirked, definitely something to blackmail him with.

Shinichi bowed his head slightly, "Ah, I'm sorry about it, Aoko-san," he smiled sheepishly, "It's not everyday that I can talk about him with someone."

"It's okay Shinichi-kun," Aoko turned to him with a soft smile and Kaito watched as the pretty Doll smiled back… he was feeling left out, damn it!

"You know, I am sitting right here," he sulked out loud and the rest turned to him with differing reactions: Aoko giggled, Hakuba raised an eyebrow, and Shinichi looked plainly amused, his lips quirked up at the corner.

…

It was definitely fantastic, Hakuba thought as he regarded the Doll before him.

He finally saw why Kaito and Aoko wanted to help him, the Doll seriously sounded too human, a good human, he might add.

…No, it wasn't just because he was a Holmes and mystery fan, too, the blond meant it, the Doll would make a wonderful human, he was better than most humans these days anyways.

And again, he was reminded of how wonderful Aoko was, really, she was observant and kind and did he say wonderful? Quickly shaking those thoughts out of his head, Hakuba coughed into his fist, getting everyone's attention to him, "I believe we have to check over his programs."

The Doll tensed at that and Hakuba cocked his head to one side in confusion when Kaito snickered.

"Told you so~," Kaito said in a sing song tone, making the Doll shoot him a dry look, "You didn't tell me anything."

Then Shinichi turned to Hakuba seriously, "My programs are all fine, the only thing strange is that…" and he trailed off hesitantly, shifting uneasily when the rest looked at him expectedly.

"Just recently, I found out that there's a strange chip in my program."

"Definite 'a strange chip', please," Hakuba prompted when Shinichi showed no sign of explaining further.

"…I told my father and he ran a check but he found nothing," Shinichi explained, ignoring the way the rest of the group looked at him when he said 'father', old habits die hard, he guessed…

"Then I asked a neighbor of mine to use his computer to check but he found nothing too," he continued, "But I see it whenever I'm in Shutdown mode."

"…A chip that no computers can detect, huh…?" Kaito mumbled, tapping his chin, "Does it do anything to you?" he asked concernedly and Shinichi shook his head in response.

"It guards my Command Chip and Memory Chip, making sure nothing can change my setting," at that, Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"So it's the thing that prevented me from having a 'gentle and obedient housewife'?"

A smirk was shot at his direction, "I believe so."

Hakuba looked on amusedly as he watched the two of them lock eyes in a silent staring contest. Aoko giggled quietly beside him.

"Still, I insist that we try a check up for you," Hakuba stated, breaking the staring contest, "Maybe with the Gentleman thief's hacking skill, we can find something useful?"

Shinichi then raised a curious eyebrow as Kaito shot the blond a dirty glare and Aoko sighed inwardly.

"But," Aoko looked at him worriedly, "Are you uncomfortable with it, Shinichi-kun?"

Shinichi blanched, his mother had worriedly asked him that before… and someone – a certain Doll that looked a lot like Aoko – had also asked him that with concern in her voice. When Aoko asked the same question, it just left him feeling even more uncomfortable with the honest concern for him.

Forcing a convincing smile, Shinichi tried to push the rush of memories and emotions back, "Ah, it is a bit uncomfortable, Aoko-san, but if it's the only way then I'm cool with it."

The girl looked a bit hesitant but as Shinichi kept his reassuring smile on his lips, Aoko finally smiled back.

Xxx

Whee...now, onto typing the other. Btw, Glee, Klaine anyone :3?

Read and review ^^~!

**amy-chan**, yup, Haku-tan is not that much of a bastard, I guess ^^. We just need to press the right buttons and he's our man x3. Well, I would love to go on holiday that long too but Chikage is luckier than us, I believe~!

**RAGA-chan**, thanks for your kind words, really! I'll try to work harder to meet up with your expectation then~! And definitely, I'm cool with creating things but to solve them...*shifts*, I'm not really that good but whatever~! I try ^^.

To dearest **D-chan**, next chapter, I'll definitely answer some of your questions ^^. I've thought of that and seriously, the srtory began with Chobits theme but I believe I'm going for my favorite show more ^^. And I know Tron! Just saw that on the magazine~!..But sadly, I never get the chance to watch that thank to the things called homework and school ;-;.

**KidfishxD**, unexpected eh? That's what I'm aiming for~! I love surprising the readers, y'know x3, wouldn't that be better :D? Thank you for the kind words~!

To **kaishinlover**, mhmhm, there's the update for you~! I'm so sorry that it took so long *bows*.

Thank you all for the support ^^~!


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